Stalking world's biggest planes makes for photos that say 'wow'

NASA's Super Guppy – NASA's Super Guppy hauls giant cargo ranging from smaller airplanes to components destined for the International Space Station. Click through the gallery for more images of big planes.

Hide Caption

1 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

Inside the Super Guppy – The Super Guppy includes a hinged nose that opens at more than a 200-degree angle. Its cargo hold measures 25 feet high, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long. Maximum payload: more than 26 tons.

Hide Caption

2 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

World's largest plane: Antonov Mriya – The six-engine Antonov An-225 cargo jet is widely acknowledged as the largest plane in the world. It's been spotted recently in Houston, Texas, Moses Lake, Washington; and over Chicago.

Hide Caption

3 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

Boeing's 747 Dreamlifter – A modified 747, the Dreamlifter was developed by Boeing to ferry giant aircraft assemblies for the 787 Dreamliner. Photographer Paul Carter caught it during takeoff from Paine Field in Everett, Washington.

Hide Caption

4 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

The Pentagon's 'air freight terminal' – Billed as the Pentagon's largest and busiest "air freight terminal," Delaware's Dover Air Force Base hosts the 436th Airlift "Eagle" Wing, which flies C-5 cargo jets and other aircraft to more than 100 countries around the globe.

Hide Caption

5 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

The giants of Dover – Dover's fleet includes the C-5M Super Galaxy, a four-engine, 65-foot-high behemoth that can tote quite a load: 270,000 pounds, to be exact. This thing has wings spanning 223 feet and 28 wheels to help it land smoothly. Its distinctive T-tail makes it easy to identify.

Skyking of military hauling – The C-5, seen here in Afghanistan, moves entire units of fighting forces and their battle machines such as helicopters, trucks and tanks around the world at jet speeds around 518 mph. Its nose opens the full width and height of the cargo bay for quick, easy loading.

C-17 Globemaster III – Another giant airlift jet stationed at Dover is the C-17 Globemaster III. You can also find this titan at Air Force facilities in Alaska, Mississippi, Hawaii, California, Washington, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma, according to the Air Force.

Hide Caption

10 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

The Globemaster cockpit – Unlike the C-5, with its seven-member crew, the Globemaster III flies with a crew of three: a pilot, a co-pilot and a loadmaster.

Hide Caption

11 of 14

Gallery: World's biggest planes14 photos

First deployed in 1993, the Globemaster III is among the Air Force's youngest airlift jets. Boeing is completing work on the final C-17, the Air Force says, which will be delivered later this year. The plane has been featured in Hollywood's "Transformers" and "Iron Man" films.

Story highlights

Boeing boasts that its factory near Seattle is by volume the world's biggest building

Aviation enthusiasts, geeks and photographers still marvel at how giant planes fly

The big stuff moves us.

And for many folks who appreciate the world's biggest airplanes -- that statement is true both figuratively and literally.

For 23 years at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, aircraft mechanic John Taylor left his sweat and elbow grease on dozens of C-5 Galaxies -- one of the largest military aircraft on Earth.

"Even though I was on the aircraft every night, I just marveled at how the thing got off the ground," Taylor said. His wife didn't quite get it. She would ask him why he worked on C-5s all week, and then chose to spend precious weekends taking pictures of the huge planes.

"It's kind of in your blood," he explained.

The gigantic C-5s make Dover an awe-inspiring destination for aviation enthusiasts -- for sure -- but even among non-enthusiasts, big planes turn heads. The Galaxy and its successor, the Super Galaxy, are among dozens of giant aircraft models that may soar high and loud above your hometown -- prompting comments like, "What is THAT?" or "That's what I call a big plane."

They have names like the Jumbo Jet, the Mriya, the Dreamlifter and the Super Guppy.

"Taking pictures outside Air Force bases can be touchy," says amateur aviation photographer Paul Carter. But it's not against the law, he says. "If you can convince the authorities that you know the rules and understand them," they'll usually let you take photos.

Eye-popping plane spotter pix 7 photos

Eye-popping plane spotter pix7 photos

Capturing the wonder of human flight – Plane spotting aviation enthusiasts trot the globe capturing stunning photos of aircraft like this one from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Maho Beach is world famous for its low flying aircraft. "If you like airplanes, Maho is like the cherry on top" of a beautiful beach vacation, says Justin Schlechter, a 747 pilot who's visited Maho several times.

Hide Caption

1 of 7

Eye-popping plane spotter pix7 photos

Danger in paradise – When pilots preparing for take off from St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport rev their engines, daredevils sometimes stand against the airport fence and hold on. The jet blast is so close and powerful that it can throw people off the fence and onto the ground.

Hide Caption

2 of 7

Eye-popping plane spotter pix7 photos

'Like it was an earthquake' – Customers at the Sunset Bar & Grill on Maho Beach "go crazy," when the big planes fly overhead, says bar employee Dianne Carbon. "When they're taking off or coming in -- it's almost like it was an earthquake."

If Dover is too far away, try spotting C-5s at their other stations: Travis Air Force Base, California; Lackland Air Forc Base, Texas; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Memphis, Tennessee; and Westover Air Reserve Base, near Springfield, Massachusetts.

It's all big in Everett

At its facilities north of Seattle in Everett, Washington, Boeing clearly likes things big. It boasts the world's biggest building, the world's longest passenger airplane and the plane with the largest cargo hold --- all against the backdrop of one of America's highest peaks: Mount Rainier.

If you rank the world's buildings by volume, Boeing's Everett assembly facility is No. 1, says Sandy Ward, who helps run the Future of Flight Museum Aviation Center and Boeing Tour.

The sprawling 98-acre factory serves as a giant birthing room for some of Boeing's most iconic children -- the family of sevens.

"You've got 747s, 767s, Triple 7s, and 787s all under one roof -- along with around 42,000 workers," says Ward. Measuring 250 feet, one of these sevens holds the title of world's longest passenger aircraft: -- Boeing's 747-8 Intercontinental.

There's nothing quite like the Everett facility in all of North America, the aircraft maker says. Each year, about 230,000 visitors experience the rare chance to see humongous pieces of aluminum and light-weight carbon composite transformed into speedy, sleek airliners. Watch huge wings join with plane fuselages. See workers attach powerful jet engines that will soon push the wings through the air.

Boeing's factory tour has developed an almost mythical status among aviation geeks. It's a must-see destination, like Disney parks are for many families. Actually, the factory is bigger than Disneyland, says Ward. The theme park could fit inside Boeing's factory -- and there would still be 12 acres available for covered parking.

Surprisingly, touring the titanic structure takes only about 90 minutes.

Adjacent to the factory, visitors can get all touchy feely about aviation at the Future of Flight Museum. Run your hands along the smooth surface of the 747's giant vertical tail. Sit behind the yoke in a cockpit of a classic 727 and play with its full array of instrumentation.

What else is big in Everett? In a word: Dreamlifter.

If the name sounds a lot like Boeing's new light-weight fuel efficient 787 Dreamliner, that's because the Dreamlifter is Dreamliner's Big Daddy.

So -- in addition to Everett -- where can we track down the Dreamlifter? It's been seen in Nagoya, Japan; Italy and Boeing's other 787 plant in Charleston, South Carolina.

Boeing's testing ground

Everett visitors can find Dreamlifter at the airport right next door to the Boeing factory. Paine Field Airport serves as Boeing's testing ground for its new planes -- offering endless photo opportunities that draw aircraft fans from around the world.

"Boeing gets it," says Carter, who makes the four-hour drive from his Vancouver, Washington, home more than twice a year. Sometimes, he brings his grandkids along, ages 7 and 4. "Paine Field is actually set up for the aviation enthusiast."

On the northwest corner of the airport, Boeing's "Strato Deck" offers a vantage point with the spectacular Cascade Mountains popping up in the background. Audio from airport ground control is piped in so visitors can get real-time information about which planes are about to take off.

For other viewing options, Carter offers this tip: go to the north end of the airport in the afternoon. Generally, shooting from outside the fence line is OK, as long as you don't hang out for too long. Police "just don't like loitering," warns Carter. "They get a little grumpy about that."

The airport welcomes thousands every May for Aviation Day, when new machines take flight along with World War II-era planes and other vintage aircraft.

Paine Field is a plane geek's candy store all year round -- offering sweet photo op treats like airliners with colorful new paint schemes. In addition to Dreamlifter, other big cargo air freighters such as the Antonov An-124 often can be seen rumbling down the runways.

Superjumbo sightings

When these planes take flight or touch the ground they stop conversations. Fingers point upward. Many who never studied aeronautics suddenly remember: This is all a mystery. It looks like magic. How the heck does that thing fly?

Last year, the world's largest passenger airliner -- the Superjumbo Airbus A380 -- marked five years in service. Seating 525 passengers in a three-class configuration -- the A380 exceeds the 747-8 by 58 seats.

At JFK, NYCAviation.com founder Phil Derner likes nearby Howard Beach for watching A380 departures from runway 31L. From this vantage point, he can see the Superjumbo make a big lumbering turn as it climbs. He can also hear its engines building up power and get a nice profile view while the plane banks 180 degrees.

"A century ago, aircraft were literally not much more than motorized kites," said Derner. "Now this thing comes along weighing in at a staggering 1.2 million pounds? It doesn't take an enthusiast to think that's badass."

Back at Dover Air Force Base, Air Mobility Command Museum deputy director John Taylor had big news to share. No museum anywhere has ever obtained a C-5 to put on permanent display. Until now.

"We're going to get the first C-5," Taylor said, barely able to contain his excitement. "It will be the crown jewel of the museum when it arrives. We will be only museum in the world to have a C-5 on display."

He wasn't talking about just any C-5. This plane's tail reads 9014, an aircraft Taylor helped keep flying decades ago when he was a mechanic.

The plane is set to arrive some time in October, and Taylor expects it to be on public display about a month later. Eventually -- perhaps as soon as next spring -- visitors will be able to board the C-5 and perhaps sit in the cockpit.

"We want to allow visitors to get on board this aircraft, to touch this aircraft, to experience the size of it," said Taylor. "That's what we're all about. It's our obligation to preserve these planes for future generations."

Although Taylor insisted it wasn't planned, a novelist couldn't have written a better full-circle ending.

After all this time, C-5 No. 9014 will return to the former airman who for years cared for this majestic, gravity-defying giant.

As Taylor put it, "We're awful lucky that it happened that way."

Have you experienced some of the world's biggest aircraft? Share your stories with us in the comments section below.